Lewis Hamilton explained why he was not able to maintain his early challenge for victory in the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race.
The Ferrari driver exchanged the lead with eventual winner George Russell during the first quarter of the 19-lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Hamilton, like he and Charles Leclerc did last time out in Melbourne, streaked off the line, and from fourth, the Brit was leading midway through the opening lap.
Energy deployments on various parts of the track saw Hamilton and former Mercedes teammate Russell engage in an exciting duel for the lead.
But Russell was able to fully maximise the performance of his W17 to nullify the Ferrari challenge, taking victory, with Hamilton third behind Leclerc, after losing time when Ferrari double-stacked the two drivers during a late Safety Car period.
Hamilton acknowledged the team’s hard work in putting him and Leclerc into the position to tussle for the win, but admitted what undid his challenge as the race wore on.
“It’s amazing. A big thank you to the team for us to be able to be in this position, fighting with the Mercedes at the front,” he said.
“It was a close battle at the beginning. That speed on the straights is just a little bit too much at the moment, but I think I put up a good fight.
“But I killed my left tyre, so I wasn’t able to hold on to the position.”
History will deem it a big ask, but if Ferrari can manage to produce a better race strategy – provided qualifying is at least a moderate success – then Hamilton and Leclerc will be, at the very least, set for a podium finish.
READ MORE – George Russell sees off Lewis Hamilton in F1 Chinese GP Sprint thriller
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